A NEW SPECIES OF MYXOSPOREAN (SPHAEROMYXIDAE), A PARASITE OF LINED SEAHORSES, HIPPOCAMPUS ERECTUS, FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO

摘要

Sphaeromyxa cannolii sp. n. is described from the bile ducts of aquaria-maintained lined seahorses (Hippocampus credos) from the Gulf of Mexico. Spores of the new species are linear, 17-18 mu n long and 5-6 mu m wide, with flattened tips; polar capsules measure 4 x 3 mu m. Routine necropsies of erectus following planned death revealed liver inflammation, bile duct obstruction, bile accumulation, and myxozoan parasites in the bile ducts of 11 of 40 animals sampled (27.5%). The presence of S. cannolii in an aquaculture setting should prompt keepers to carefully quarantine new animals and exclude annelid fauna, a potential intermediate host of myxozoans.